Overcoming Divergence
by FoureverDivergent04
Summary: Bella is Divergent, but she is not letting it hold her back. Somehow this sweet girl from Amity gets tangled up with Dauntless' youngest, ruthless leader Eric. As time progresses who knows if she'll be able to keep her secret safe.
1. Where I belong

_**A/N- This is now my second fanfic that I am uploading. In the Divergent books I hated Eric's character. Seeing Jai Courtney in the movie however changed my mind. Yes, he is hot, but it got me thinking that a person wouldn't be so cold unless it was instigated. Now I'm obsessed with Eric's character and trying to find the best reason in my own imagination that Eric would be such an ass in Divergent. This will be a slow burn Eric/OC story, I hope you like it.**_

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I jolt awake clutching the cold metal arms of the chair gasping for breath. Tori, my test administrator, places a calm hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, you did fine. I'll be right back," she says as she stands and exits the room.

I stand from the chair slowly and wipe my sweaty palms on my orange dress. I walk over to the mirrored wall and smooth down my brown hair. A few moments later Tori enters the room again.

"Well Annabelle, your results were perplexing."

I can't imagine why. The Erudite designed the aptitude test so that it was simple and easy to find out which faction you belong in.

"Usually the stages of the test eliminate one or two factions until one remains. Your choices however, have only eliminated two factions, Candor and Erudite."

"What? That's impossible-"I start, but Tori interrupts me.

"It's not impossible, just rare. You don't fit into a category, you threaten the system, and it's dangerous. They call it Divergent," she whispers the last part.

"You can't be serious," I say. "What was my test result?"

Tori let out a sigh. "Amity. And Dauntless. And Abnegation. You cannot share this information with anyone. I manually entered your result as Amity. Make sure you choose safely."

Then she ushers me out the door.

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The rest of the day passes in a blur. Tori's words are burned into my head.

_They call it Divergent._

"Hey Bell!" I stop at the sound of my nickname being called. I turn around and see my best friend Nicole jogging up to me.

"Hey how'd your test go?" she asks.

"Nicole, you know we're not supposed to talk about the test," I say.

She giggles. "Yeah yeah, I know. It was so intense though! Are you happy with your result?"

To be honest I don't know what I feel. I never understood why society was separated. I want to be kind, honest, intelligent, selfless, and brave. From my thinking, I guess that would make me Divergent. Tori told me being Divergent was dangerous. How, I don't know. But no one is going to find out what I am.

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The next morning I am rudely awoken by my little sister jumping on me.

"Anna get up get up! Today's your big day!" she shouts.

I groan and roll over, "Alright, Marie. I'll be down in a minute." She scampers away and I get out of bed and trudge to my bathroom. I return twenty minutes later with brushed teeth, braided hair, and wearing a knee length yellow dress.

When I walk into the kitchen both of my parents are sitting at the table sipping coffee while Marie is happily bouncing in her chair munching on toast. I swear, she is the most hyperactive seven year old I have ever seen.

"Good morning Mom, Dad," I say grabbing an orange. I try my best to avoid the bread. I don't like the idea of peace serum being put into it.

"Morning kiddo, are you ready for today?" my Mom asks me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say taking a seat. All my life, I've never imagined myself anything other than Amity. According to my test though, I'm a lot more than Amity. My father speaks up.

"Annabelle, we want you to know that we will always love you, no matter what you decide today. That will never change, please remember that."

After breakfast we drive to the hub for the choosing ceremony. This year, my factions' representative Johanna Reyes will be running the ceremony.

When we arrive I hug each member of my family and make my way to the group of other Amity choosing today. I lock eyes with Nicole and she waves me over.

"Hey, how are you?" she greets with a smile.

"Hey, I'm a little nervous, how about you?" I ask.

She sighs, "I've known where I belong for a while now."

Our conversation ends when Johanna takes the stage.

"Welcome to the choosing ceremony. Our dependents are now sixteen, which means that it is time for them to decide where they belong in our society. Our ancestors sought to eradicate qualities that they believed caused disarray."

My eyes shift to the huge bowls placed in the center of the stage. Soil, stones, water, glass, and hot coals each fill their respective bowl. My fate will lie in one of them.

"Those who blamed aggression formed Amity."

My home. My first sixteen years of life belong to this faction.

"Those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite."

I was never the brightest student in class. I did well enough, but I personally didn't enjoy school. I can't really see myself studying and learning the rest of my life.

"Those who blamed duplicity created Candor."

I was a naturally honest person. My parents always told me that if I lied, I would hurt someone's feelings and if someone's feelings got hurt the situation wouldn't be peaceful. I also had a friend in Candor, Jake. He once told me that in Candor initiation you were given truth serum and you "spill all your secrets". That doesn't sound pleasing to me.

"Those who blamed selfishness became Abnegation."

Abnegation was a safe choice for someone like me. I don't think I belong there. The only reason that was one of my results was because I tackled the dog before it could attack a little girl. She reminded me of Marie, but there's no way I'd let someone who has no way of defending them self get hurt.

"And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless."

I have had my fair share of brave moments. I always climbed to the top of the tallest trees in the Amity orchards. I even sometimes rode the train around the city. That was one of my dirty little secrets. Whenever I needed to clear my head, I just snuck off to catch the next train. It was a rare occasion, last night being my most recent one. I couldn't sleep so I decided to ride around for a little bit. It seemed like a good idea until a Dauntless member jumped in the same car as me while passing their compound.

He noticed me right away; I was sitting on the edge of the car, watching the city pass by. I let out a fairly loud gasp and looked up at him. He was tall. Probably a full head taller than me. He had blonde hair that was shorter than most Amity boys, but I could still run my fingers through it if I wanted to. He also had two piercings in his right eyebrow. The part that stuck out the most to me about him was not his nice muscular build or the thick black ink marks running down his neck and arms. It was his striking grey green eyes that were locked with my brown ones.

"I think you're a little lost, Amity. What're you doing here?"

I turn back to the city before answering, "Couldn't sleep, I needed to clear my head." He's silent for awhile and I turn my gaze back to him and see him leaning against the door of the car looking at me. I raise my eyebrows at him but he still keeps that cool expression on his face. Finally I break.

"Look, am I in trouble? Do I have to worry about a Dauntless member tattling on me?"

He smirks and looks out the door. "I think I can let this slide Amity. How often do you come out here?"

I was surprised at his question, "Whenever I need to. Not a lot." He nods and we both just look at the city lights before the entrance to Amity comes into view. I go to stand and realize the Dauntless man extended a hand to help me up. I hesitantly take it and smile.

"Thanks. And thanks for keeping my secret, I owe you one," I say as I jump from the train and land gracefully on my feet.

The memory is pushed aside in my head when Johanna calls Nicole's name and she squeezes my hand before approaching her. I watch as she takes the knife and presses it to her palm. I think about all the fun we've had in Amity together. Nicole has been my best friend forever and I look up just as her blood drops into the soil filled bowl of Amity. The only thing that threw me off was the sound of sizzling and loud cheers from the section next to us.

_My best friend just chose Dauntless._

My name is called next and I make my way to the front. I take the knife from Johanna and smile. I look between the five bowls.

_I am Divergent, being Divergent is Dangerous._

My eyes scan over the Erudite and Candor bowls.

_I threaten the system._

I look at the grey stones filling the Abnegation bowl.

_Abnegation is safe._

Soil and coals.

_I will not let my Divergence hold me back, I am not afraid of it._

Loud cheers and claps are heard after my blood sizzles on the hot coals of Dauntless.

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_**A/N- There's the first chapter, again I hope you like it. Make sure you leave a review telling me what you think. I am going to try my best to update once a week, maybe more depending on how easy the story is flowing. Until next time, **__**Shelby.**_


	2. Familiar Faces

_**A/N- Here's chapter two, I hope you like it. Let me know if you want longer chapters, I think I can make it work.**_

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I grab a white bandage from the table and press it to the cut on my hand while walking to my new faction. I go to sit with Nicole and several Dauntless born pat me on the back and others make smart comments about two Amity transfers this year. When I reach Nicole I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Known all along huh?" I mock with a smile. She smacks my arm playfully, "What about you? I'm surprised." I just shrug my shoulders and we listen as the rest of the names are called.

When Johanna concludes the ceremony all the Dauntless born break into a run outside. Nicole grabs my hand and we join the crowd. As we near the train tracks the horn blows in the distance. As it nears Nicole realizes it's not stopping.

"Oh my God, they expect us to jump on this thing moving? We haven't even been taught how yet!" shouts Nicole over the noise.

"Don't worry," I say. "It's not as bad as it looks." I start jogging with the Dauntless born and jump into the first car. The first thing I notice is I almost bumped into someone standing by the door. The second, I am the only transfer in the car. The boy I almost ran into speaks up.

"Whoa Amity, you got guts jumping into our car. My name's Brent." Before I can respond another girl in the car talks.

"Yeah she's either got guts or she's stupid." I turn back to Brent and smile," I can't exactly be considered Amity now that I'm here can I? My names Bella." I never liked my full name, it's too long. I always preferred Bell or Anna, as Marie calls me. Bella sounds better though, stronger.

Brent smiles and leans against the door. "Feisty, I like this one," he announces, then he leans in to whisper, "Don't mind Liss, she's just jealous that you're cute." Then he turns and faces the door, watching the city pass by.

After about a ten minute train ride we near the Dauntless compound. Everyone stands and starts to gather at the door. I've never jumped onto a roof from the train before. The girl named Liss walks over and bumps her shoulder into mine.

"Nervous transfer?" she hissed.

"Not at all," I respond without looking and her and I jump landing on my feet safely on the roof. I turn just in time to see Liss ungracefully jump from the train landing on her butt. Brent offers her a hand and she slaps it away and stands, brushing herself off.

"Initiates, let's go!" shouts a man at the other side of the roof. A hand snatches my wrist and I see Nicole fixing her windblown hair. "Thanks for waiting for me, it meant a lot," she says sarcastically.

We all walk to the man who called us and as we get closer my eyes widen. It's the man from the train. His eyes catch mine and he smirks.

"My name's Eric, I'm one of your leaders," he says.

_I rode on a train with a Dauntless leader?! He is so young! And_ _I sort of disrespected him!_

"Behind me is the members' entrance to our compound. If you don't have the courage to jump off, you don't belong here. Transfers, you're up first."

"Wait, you want us to jump off a ledge?" asks a girl from Erudite. I believe her name is Katelynn.

Eric just looks at his nails and replies bordely, "That's exactly what I want you to do, any volunteers?"

Mumbles pass through the crowd until Jake, my friend from Candor who I hadn't realized was here speaks up. "Is there a net at the bottom or something?"

"I guess you'll have to find out," Eric answered. Of course there's a net, if we all died jumping off the roof Dauntless wouldn't have any new members. I start walking to the front.

Eric's smirk returns when I step onto the ledge. All that is below is darkness. "Scared Amity?" he taunts. "Though I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."

"Is that so?" I say before turning to Brent. "If she doesn't jump soon," I say pointing to Nicole, "Throw her down." He smiles and gives me a thumbs up. Nicole is terrified of heights.

"Do I need to push you? Let's go Amity," Eric demands.

I smile sweetly, "No thanks, I'm good," I say stepping off the ledge.

I fall for about seven seconds. My braid hits me in the face and the wind stings. It's an amazing feeling. When I reach the bottom I bounce a few times in a net. I laugh and suddenly someone pulls the edge and I roll to it. A man with dark blue eyes and short brown hair helps me down. He looks about Eric's age, and they both can't be much older than me.

"An Amity? Haven't had one in a few years," says a woman with dark hair.

"What's your name?" asks the man. "Bella," I say. The dark haired woman requests that he makes the announcement and he turns to shout, "First jumper, Bella!" Cheers and claps are heard and Four ushers me to wait for the other initiates.

Suddenly a loud scream pierces the air and I immediately know it's Nicole. The other Dauntless members snicker and Nicole starts pacing once she's on solid ground.

"Hey Nicole, you can kiss that fear of heights goodbye right?" I call out. She sees me and she yells, "I cannot believe you! Why would you tell him to do that?!" I laugh, "Because we both know you wouldn't have jumped willingly."

Four looks at us awkwardly before saying, "Second Jumper… Nicole." After that Brent hits the net and joins us. He says he won't apologize to Nicole because it was funny. Which it was, just not to her.

About twenty minutes later all the initiates are gathered and Eric lands in the net. Four offers him a hand but he doesn't take it.

"You may still need help getting off the net Four, doesn't mean I do." Four laughs and slaps him on the back before addressing us.

"My name is Four, I'm sure you all know Eric, and that's Lauren," he says pointing to the dark haired woman. "We'll be your instructors."

"Dauntless born, go with Lauren. You obviously don't need a tour of the compound," says Eric.

Four and Eric lead us down a narrow tunnel. The lighting is dim between intervals. The walls are made of stone and the ceiling slops at an awkward angle.

"Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks I'll be training you," says Four. We stop in front of a set of double doors and Eric turns to the group. There were quite a few Dauntless born, only ten of us transfers remain.

"We're about to go into the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It's the center of life here at Dauntless," says Eric before he pushes open the doors.

"Pit" is the best word for it. Rock walls rise several stories above our heads. It's so big I can't see the other end. In the walls are places for food, clothing, and the one that sticks out the most, the tattoo shop. Narrow paths and steps connect them. There are no railings to prevent people from falling.

"If you follow me," says Four, "I'll show you the chasm." He waves us forward. Four is the most normal looking Dauntless I've seen so far. He has no piercings, which I feel if he did it would ruin his attractiveness. I didn't think he had a tattoo until I saw the top of one peeking out from the collar of his shirt.

The chasm, as it turns out, is a very scary thing. The floor drops at a sharp angle, a river lies at the bottom. On the left, the water is calm. To my right, it is white from crashing against rock.

"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" shouts Four. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

That line of bravery is to my right. There is one rail guarding the edge of the bridge we stand on, it's to my left.

Lastly Eric takes us to the dorms where we'll be sleeping. When we enter there are groans of protest about co-ed living arrangements. They increase when we're shown the bathroom. I zone out a bit as Eric discusses ground rules and I vaguely hear something about rankings. I come to my senses right as Eric is about to leave. His eyes lock with mine.

"You chose us, now we have to choose you," he says as he pushes the door open and exits the room.

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_**A/N- There's chapter two :) I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think! Chapter three will be up in a few days. And I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors, I do my best.**_


	3. Exploring and Shooting

_**A/N- So I was reading a story that I enjoyed recently but found that it was very similar to mine. Summary, first chapter, and even the A/N was pretty close to mine. Funny thing is the author of that story reviewed mine just a few hours before uploading theirs. Well I'm glad they liked my story… at least. Again I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes in this chapter.**_

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It turns out that each stage of our training will be ranked and cuts will be made after stages one and three. Well damn.

Stacks of black clothing lay on the bunks and Nicole and I take the one in the far corner of the room. Eric wanted us all to change before heading to dinner.

"Hey Nicole," I say pulling on a pair of black jeans, "I'm not really hungry; you want to explore with me?" She finishes putting on a black t-shirt before responding.

"Yeah that's cool. Give me a minute."

I unzip my dress and quickly pull on a black tank top. I fold the dress and place it in one of the dressers at the foot of our bunk. I think I'll have my parents give it to Marie, if they come to visiting day.

Visiting day has always been a hard day for me. My brother Ashton transferred three years ago. I didn't attend his choosing ceremony and I refused to accompany my parents to see him on visiting day. I was so upset all these years; I still don't know where he ended up.

I turn around and burst out laughing. Nicole is struggling to pull on her pants from under her bed sheet. She looks up and glares at me.

"Oh yeah, laugh it up. Not all of us can throw away our modesty like you," she sighs.

"Trust me, I still have my modesty," I retort.

She just laughs and finally gets her pants on using her difficult yet logical method. By that time, we're the only ones in the dorm.

We make our way around the pit looking at the different shops and decide to check out the tattoo parlor. The outside looks cool, but the inside is amazing. The shop is lit by black lighting. Every inch of three walls is covered in tattoo designs and artwork. The other wall is lined with body jewelry.

"You think you might want to get a tattoo sometime?" I ask nudging Nicole.

She bites her lip and scans the walls. "My parents would hate it," she responds, "But I really want one." Then she heads over to look at the piercings.

I start flipping through some design books. I really want to get a tattoo as well, but I plan on waiting until after initiation. If I got a tattoo and failed initiation it would be a constant slap in the face.

"Tattoos already? You sure are eager Amity," says a deep familiar voice.

I didn't sense another person I jumped a little at their voice. I took a step back and spun around bumping into Eric. He smirks and grabs my shoulders to steady me.

"No," I say glancing at his hands on my shoulders,"I'm just looking around."

He notices my gaze and removes his hands. "Well make sure you think what you want through, it'll be permanent."

Right after he says that he looks up and his smirk disappears.

"Make sure you get a lot of sleep initiate, you'll need it." And with that he stalks out of the tattoo parlor.

A few seconds later Nicole walks back up to me.

"I think I want to get my nose pierced," she announces while we walk out of the shop.

"You have the perfect nose for it," I comment. When we reach the dorm Nicole blocks the door with her arm. I turn towards her with my eyebrows raised.

Nicole raises her eyebrows too before speaking. "I saw you and Eric talking, what did he want?"

Well he didn't really _want_ anything. It's not like we had a long conversation, I don't know why she's all curious.

"He thought we we're getting tattoos the first day. He said to think them through because they're permanent, you know?" I say. She nods and moves her arm.

There's only a few other transfers in the dorm when we walk in. A couple glance at us but quickly returns to whatever they were doing.

When we get to our bunk I waste no time in kicking off my boots and hoping into bed. As soon as my head touches the pillow my eyelids droop.

"Hey Bells," whispers Nicole.

"Yeah Nicole?"

"Night," she giggles and I laugh.

"Night."

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I open my eyes and sit up the next morning at six thirty. All the other initiates are still sleeping so I grasp the opportunity to shower.

After standing under the scalding water for about ten minutes a wrap a towel around myself and walk to my dresser to get clothes. I can't wait until we can go shopping.

I put on my red lace bra and matching underwear before throwing on my black tank top and sliding on black pants.

It's ten minutes to seven and training starts at eight. The other initiates are still not up yet so I decide to wake Nicole so she can shower.

I reach up and tug on Nicole's covers.

"Sleepy head wake up," I say. She mumbles something I can't understand and rolls over. Sighing I try again.

"Nicole unless you want everyone to see your "temple" I'd get your ass out of bed."

She got up after that.

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After Nicole showered we both walk to the dining hall before training to get breakfast.

As we're walking to take a seat a pair of arms wrap around me and lifts me off the ground spinning me around. When I turn around Brent has a huge grin on his face.

"You're sitting with us Bells," he states nodding to a table full of Dauntless born. I'm about to retort but he grabs mine and Nicole's arms and drags us to his table.

As we near the table I recognize several Dauntless born from the train. One of them is Liss, who calls out when she sees us.

"Seriously Brent? What is it with you and transfers?"

"Yeah Brent, what _is_ it with you and transfers?" I say bumping him with my hip and sitting down.

Brent shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know, some transfers are cooler than you loser Dauntless born," he replies with a smirk.

Nicole and I get introduced to Hannah, Josh, and Adam, the other three at the table. I sit quietly nibbling on a muffin until Hannah says something that catches my attention.

"Well I'd feel less pressured if Eric wasn't overseeing our training. Why can't Harvey do it?"

Brent laughs, "They probably wanted Eric to get used to being a leader. Actually _helping_ the faction you know?"

"What's so bad about Eric?" I ask.

Liss snorts, "You have a lot to learn transfer-"

"What we're saying Bella, is that Eric isn't exactly known for his kindness and generosity," interrupts Josh.

I've only had to conversations with Eric, and they weren't terrible.

"At least Four is one of our instructors, he's hot," giggles Nicole.

I crack a small smile.

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"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second is how to win a fight," says Four as he passes out guns.

When he hands me one I shiver. The gun is heavy and the metal is cold in my hand. Someone could seriously get hurt with this.

"Initiation is divided into three stages, physical, emotional, and mental. Each stage is graded more heavily than the last-"

"Wait, what does that mean?" interrupts a boy from Candor.

"It means that if stage one kicks your ass, you have a slight chance in moving up in the rankings," says Eric walking into the room.

"Nice of you to join us, Eric," Four snorts. Eric walks to the front and grabs a gun.

"Not that I need to explain myself to _you, _my meeting with Max ran late."

Four nods and then asks Eric if he wants to demonstrate shooting. He walks to a target and begins shooting. I'm so absorbed in watching Eric shoot that I don't hear anything Four says about how to shoot.

Every time Eric lifts the gun his broad muscles stretch against his tight black shirt. He stands with his feet apart and exhales when he fires.

"Now get a target and get shooting!" shouts Four. Nicole and I stand in front of targets at the end of the room. Gunshots echo throughout the room after a few moments and I sigh looking at the weapon in my hands. A few days ago I never would've imagined I'd be holding a loaded gun.

I look over and Nicole seems to have no hesitation as she lifts her own gun and starts firing. Four and Eric are watching us, I haven't even fired yet. I take a deep breath and raise my gun. I try to mimic Eric's stance as best as possible and shoot while exhaling.

Not even close. I wasn't expecting such a powerful recoil, I almost drop the gun. I try again firing three bullets. The last bullet just nicked the edge of the target.

Nicole is doing a little better next to me. Her target has a few holes in its outer ring. None of the initiates seem to stick out. Except Jake. He has hit the center of the target a few times.

I face my target and sigh. That sigh turns into a gasp when someone places their hands on my shoulders from behind. I don't need to look; I already know who it is.

"If you're wondering what your problem is," says Eric, his breath fanning my ear. I think this is the closest we're been. I turn my head to look at him. My eyes immediately meet his grey green ones.

"You're too tense. You're so stiff I could probably snap you in half right now."

I let out a short laugh. "You could probably do that anyway, your bicep is bigger than my head."

_Oh God, did I just say that? _

I turn away, my face hot. But not before I see Eric smirk.

"Just relax Amity, I'm sure it will help," he says squeezing my shoulders before walking over to Four. They have a short conversation then Eric leaves the room.

I move my shoulders up and down to release some tension before shooting again. It helped a little bit; I'm hitting the target every time now. I'm still pretty far from the middle, but I'll work on it.

Four, who was watching the other initiates, approaches me. I continue shooting, most of the bullets hit the outer ring and some land one circle away from the center.

"Not bad initiate. There's always room for improvement. A little work and you'll be good," he says.

He turns to the others and shouts, "Everyone go to lunch and be back here in an hour. Don't be late."

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_**A/N- I'm up north right now and there is no wifi so I can only use the internet sometimes on my grandmas computer. Not having internet is so frustrating XD. Anyway the next chapter is almost done, it'll be up pretty soon.**_


	4. Power

_**A/N- So I have a YouTube called CallMeShelbs. I reviewed the book FOUR (Which was amazing) so yeah, if you're interested check out my channel. And this chapter is rather short; I promise I'll make it up in the next chapter.**_

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Lunch was pretty un-eventful. Nicole and I realized that we barely knew our fellow transfers, so when we enter the dining hall I quickly sit next to Jake, ignoring Brent's pout from the table next to us.

"Oh look! It's my best friend who hates me! Welcome Bella," acknowledged Jake sarcastically. I just laugh and grab a muffin.

"You know that's not true Jacob, I love you."

He raises his eyebrows, "Playing the full name game, okay A-"I shove part of my muffin in his mouth to cut him off. I don't want to be called "Annabelle" again. The name tied me to who I was, not who I want to be.

Jake nudges me and whispers, "I wouldn't have said it." I smile softly and wait for him to finish eating. On the way back to the training room Jake introduces Nicole and I to a few other transfers.

Zack and Christian, two boys Jake was friends with in Candor, are twins. I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner.

There was also Kristine, a shy quiet girl from Erudite. She seemed nice, but the others from Erudite were not. Devin and Isobel were an all too public couple. I've never talked to either of them, but Jake obviously doesn't like them.

When we reach the training room Four and Eric seem to be in a silent stare down. When the last initiate enters they stop glaring at each other and Four addresses us.

"As I said this morning, next you will learn to fight. The purpose of this is to prepare you to act," says Four.

Nicole turns to me and whispers, "Why would they have us fight each other? There's no way that will turn out well."

I agree with her, in a way. They can't tell how good a fighter each of us are by just punching bags. But to have us fight each other, that's not right.

"I know what you mean, but they have to see us fight somehow," I respond.

She sighs, "I just don't see why-"

"Or maybe the Amity's would like to explain. That's what you two are discussing right?"

Nicole's mouth snaps shut and I quickly avert my eyes. Eric's deep voice echoes through the room once more.

"I didn't think so. If I were you, I'd pay attention. Those who don't will get hurt." I look up and meet his gaze. I don't know why, but I raise my eyebrows at him.

His eyes narrow and it takes all my will power to look away. I don't want to piss him off. I try to focus on Four, who is not demonstrating punches on an orange bag.

I forget the names as he executes them, I can't seem to focus on much because every few seconds my eyes shift over to Eric, only to find his eyes intently on me. After a while Four stops and tells us to start on our own bags.

Jake stands at the bag to my right and Nicole is on my left. Jake starts beating his bag as soon as it's in reach. Since I picked up nothing from Four, I watch Jake.

I copy his stance and begin punching. After only a few minutes my knuckles start to bruise. No matter how hard I hit the bag, it barely moves.

"What's the matter Amity? Not much muscle built up from all the tree climbing?" snickers Devin from the other side of Nicole.

Devin is huge. He has to at least be six feet tall, and he's muscular. Not nearly as much as Eric, but he is definitely the biggest guy in our initiation class among the transfers.

"Bella, come here," says Four. I clench my fists and walk to where he's standing. At least he stopped me from saying something stupid.

When I reach him I expect him to tell me how bad I'm doing. Or laugh. Or both, but he doesn't. He looks over my shoulder and grabs my arm gently. He pulls me behind one of the pillars in the room and starts talking.

"You know sometimes an elbow can hurt more than a punch. Depending on how much power you put behind it,"

That puzzles me. "What do you-"

"I mean just because you don't have much muscle doesn't mean you can't do some damage," He finishes.

I laugh, "Four I'm the smallest one here. I don't think throwing an elbow instead of a punch will help much."

"Bella you can use your size to your advantage. Big guys like Devin have a flaw, do you have an idea what that is?" he asks.

I'm small. Probably around five foot three in height. One hundred and ten pounds. When I was younger I used to be in gymnastics so I'm flexible. Devin is big and bulky. Slow.

"They're slow. I can move my body faster," I say.

Four smiles slightly, "You're right. If I were you I'd practice punching and kicking some more. They kind of suck."

I laugh and go to turn away. I walk to my bad and when Four walks by he says, "And next time pay attention during the lesson."

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"So Bella, you think it makes me look manly?" asks Brent flexing his right bicep that now has a freshly inked cobra drawn on it.

"Yes Brent you're the manliest man I've ever seen. Now put the bandage back on before it gets infected," I say kicking him under the table. Right after training Brent had an appointment at the tattoo parlor.

"How'd you even get a tattoo? Initiates don't get their points until tomorrow," says Nicole.

Brent points to a table across the room. "My brother paid to have it done. An initiation gift as he called it."

"Um, Bella," whispers Nicole. I look up and her mouth is hung open, her eyes wide. She points across the room.

Sitting at a table near the doors, right next to Eric, is a tall guy with dark blonde hair. The others at the table seem to notice our gawking and stare back at us. I meet Eric's gaze and the blonde haired guy turns around and his deep blue eyes widen.

"What is it Bella?" asks Brent, also looking at the table.

I sigh and close my eyes.

"The guy next to Eric is my older brother."

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_**A/N- So what'd you think. Like it? Hate it? Let me know :) I also apologize for any spelling/grammar errors in this chapter. I'll update soon!**_


	5. Eric

_**A/N- I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, working on three stories is a lot of work and my ideas get mixed up and all that good stuff. I had this chapter 50% written and then I decided I hate it so I ripped it out of my notebook. I hope you like Eric's POV in this chapter, if you do let me know and I'll do one every few chapters. Enjoy :)**_

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**Eric's POV- Night before the choosing ceremony**

Today was a long day. Tomorrow is the choosing ceremony and I have to oversee Four and the initiation process. I offered great ideas on how to improve Dauntless initiation, I didn't want to deal with the initiates though.

It's late, around two a.m. I have been very busy lately since Max offered me the leadership position. At first the work was just long hours of paperwork regarding the faction. Now I manage the fence rotations and factionless patrols.

I walk the stairs up to the roof; I should be able to catch the next train. I can't wait to see the look on the initiate's faces when they realize what they have to do to enter the compound. Initiation should be interesting this year. I personally would've preferred to work with the Dauntless born during stage one, since they know what they're doing.

I hear the train's horn in the distance when I reach the roof. I made it just in time. I start running along the edge and prepare myself for the jump. What I wasn't prepared for was another person on the train. Dauntless members know the curfew.

After I regain my balance I turn around, ready to lecture whoever was out of the compound this late but my mouth snaps shut. It's a girl. A girl wearing _yellow_.

"I think you're a little lost, Amity. What are you doing here?" I ask looking into her dark brown eyes.

She looks back out the door toward the city before responding. "Couldn't sleep, I needed to clear my head." I don't ask any more questions for now. She must be choosing tomorrow. Why else would someone her age not be able to sleep tonight?

We're kind of similar. I always ride the train when I need to clear my head. I look at the girl and smirk. It takes guts for someone other than a Dauntless member to ride the train. I wonder how she learned to get on and off.

She turns back towards me and catches me looking at her. She raises her eyebrows in question but I don't speak. Finally she breaks the silence. "Look, am I in trouble? Do I have to worry about a Dauntless member tattling on me?"

I smirk and look at the city. This girl's got an attitude. It's challenging, I like it. Especially because she doesn't know I'm not a Dauntless member. I'm a Dauntless _leader_.

"I think I can let this slide Amity. How often do you come out here?"

"Whenever I need to. Not a lot," she responds and I nod. Soon the entrance to Amity comes into view and when she starts to stand I offer her a hand. She hesitates but smiles and takes it.

"Thanks. And thanks for keeping my secret. I owe you one," she says before she jumps.

She lands perfectly on her feet and I smile.

I have a feeling I'll be seeing her again soon.

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**Afternoon of the ceremony**

I told Four that I would handle things up on the roof. I wanted to give the initiates a good scare before we start. Plus with the Stiff being afraid of heights, he wouldn't have wanted to be up there anyway.

The initiates should be here any second now. Dauntless always has the smallest amount of initiates every year which isn't surprising. Not everyone can live up to our standards.

Just then the train rounds the corner of the compound and several Dauntless born start jumping. Soon after, the first transfer jumps and sticks the landing. I'm not surprised when I see orange. The girl from the train turns around as a Dauntless born lands on her ass. She smirks and another girl walks up to her.

_Two Amity's._

"Initiates, let's go!" I shout. Time to get started.

They all walk over to me and I smirk when I see the Amity girls eyes widen. "My name is Eric; I'm one of your leaders. Behind me is the member's entrance to our compound. If you don't have the courage to jump, you don't belong here. Transfers, you're up first."

"Wait, you want us to jump off a ledge?" asks a Nose. I don't think I stuttered.

"That's exactly what I want you to do, any volunteers?"

The initiates mumble amongst themselves until a Candor asks, "Is there a net at the bottom or something?"

"I guess you'll have to find out." Why are they so scared? It's not like we would kill all of the initiates on the first day. A smirk makes its way onto my face when the Amity starts walking to the ledge. She steps onto it and looks down, "Scared Amity?" I tease. "Though I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."

"Is that so?" she says, and then she turns to another initiate. "If she doesn't jump soon, throw her down," she finishes pointing at the other Amity.

"Do I need to push you? Let's go Amity," I demand. We don't have all day.

She smiles at me and says "No thanks, I'm good," before she steps off the ledge. She doesn't make a sound and the other initiates gather around the ledge to see if she's alright, even though it's dark down there.

"First Jumper, Bella!" I hear Four yell. _So her name is Bella._

The initiate she told to throw the other Amity turns out to be Brent, Brandon's younger brother. Brandon was in my initiate class and one of the few people I became friends with.

Brent walks up behind the girl and picks her up. "Oh my God! Put me down!" she screeches and I have to stifle a laugh. Brent replies, "Sorry princess, I was given orders."

He drops her over the edge and her scream pierces the air causing everyone on the roof to laugh. Right after Brent hops over the ledge and the initiates line up to take their turn.

_Initiation will be interesting this year._

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**Tour of the compound**

"We're about to go into the pit, which you will someday learn to love. It's the center of life here at Dauntless."

The initiates take in the Pit and the admiration is visible. I zone out as Four shows them the Chasm and he leaves while I take them to the dorm room.

"This is where you all will be sleeping. We only have a few rules for you so I advise you follow them. First, training starts at eight every morning. I don't want any of you to be late. Second, no one is allowed out of the compound without a full member, and lastly after each stage of initiation rankings and cuts will be announced so work hard and make us proud."

After that last part the room falls silent.

"Cuts? What does that mean?"

I smirk, "That means, if you can't live up to our standards you will be cut from the program and live factionless."

"What!? Why did no one tell us this-"shrieks the Amity.

"If we told you would it have affected your decision? If so you should get out now. It shouldn't matter that you might fail. Dauntless don't back down from fear. Dauntless _never_ give up."

I walk to the door and stop with my hand on the handle.

"You chose us, now we have to choose you."

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**Tattoo Shop**

I walk around the shop looking at the new designs displayed as I wait for my appointment with Tori. We already discussed what I would be getting, and now I kind of want another piercing too.

Then I see something that I didn't expect so soon.

"Tattoos already? You sure are eager Amity."

I must've scared her because she jumps while turning around, bumping into me. My hands reach out instinctively to steady her.

"No, I'm just looking around," she says while glancing at my hands. I slowly remove them while responding. "Well when you do get one, think it through. It'll be on your body forever."

I look up and see the other Amity walking over here. Those two are inseparable.

"Make sure you get a lot of sleep initiate, you'll need it." Then I walk out of the shop and into Tori's office.

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**Shooting**

My meeting with Max and Jeanine just ended, and now I'm late for the first day of training. Not that I'm missing much.

"Each stage is graded more heavily than the last-" I hear Four say.

"Wait, what does that mean?" an initiate interrupts.

"It means that if stage one kicks your ass, you have a slight chance in moving up in the rankings," I say entering the training room.

"Nice of you to join us, Eric," snorts Four. That ass. He knew I had a meeting this morning.

"My meeting with Max ran late." Not that it matters to him.

"Okay well you want to demonstrate?"

I nod and grab a gun before facing the target. I begin shooting, demonstrating the correct stance and hitting the bulls eye each time. I've perfected my aim since my initiation.

Four tells the initiates to get started so I stop shooting. It should take them awhile to get even close to the center.

Four and I each walk down the line, evaluating how well they can do after the first demonstration. Most are doing as expected, so I watch the Amity. She hasn't fired yet. Must be nervous coming from a kind faction, but this is Dauntless. Guns are one of our most useful weapons of defense.

She gets over whatever was going through her head and begins shooting. The recoil throws her off at first, and that's expected. Her second shot barely hits the target and I realize her problem. I walk over and place my hands on her shoulders. She gasps and I tell her what's wrong.

"If you're wondering what your problem is, you're too tense. You're so stiff I could probably snap you in half right now."

She laughs and says, "You could probably do that anyway, your bicep is bigger than my head." I smirk and she blushes at what she just said.

"Just relax Amity, I'm sure it will help," I finish. I give her shoulders an assuring squeeze before walking over to Four.

"I need to go. I'll be back after lunch for fighting," I say. Then I walk out the door and head to the other training room.

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**After lunch**

"As I said this morning, next you will learn how to fight. The purpose of this is to prepare you to act-"

"Today you'll be learning technique and tomorrow you'll start fighting each other," I interrupt.

"All fights will be ranked. The higher the opponent you beat, the more points you earn. Higher ranking initiates that lose to lower ranking ones will be affected the most," concludes Four.

"Now we're going to show you some basic moves…" My voice trails off when I realize I don't have every initiate's attention.

"Or maybe the Amity's would like to explain," I yell. Every initiates turns there way and they stop talking.

"If I were you I'd pay attention. Those who don't will get hurt." I let Four demonstrate attack and defense moves. I look at Bella and she is lost in thought, barely paying Four any attention.

When the initiates start working on them themselves, the Amity is totally lost. She looks at her former Candor friend and copies his stance. I walk over to Devin and watch his punches. He's well built, the bag swings quite a bit when he hits it. I nod and watch Isobel, she's the largest girl in the transfer class and her hits are decent. It all depends on the opponent though. You can't judge a person's skill while they punch a bag.

"What's the matter Amity? Not much muscle built up from all the tree climbing?" snickers Devin. I send him a cold glare that shuts him right up. Its bad enough I have to deal with transfers, I'm not going to deal with their annoying banter.

From the corner of my eye I see Four approach Bella and take her to an unseen part of the room. I continue watching the initiates and offer help when it is absolutely necessary. Some of these kids are going to get seriously hurt.

Soon Bella is back at her bag wailing on it with her knees and elbows. Four must've told her to do that. He has some good tips, but it takes skill to win a fight, not just getting pissed off like how he won our fight.

I know better now.

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_**A/N- So I decided to end it there because Bella will deal with her brother next chapter. Once again I'm so sorry about the lack of updating. I hit a wave of writers block and I'm slowly coming out of it. Let me know how you liked the chapter :) And thanks to everyone who has left a review! Sorry about any misspellings and errors in this chapter.**_


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